1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of BFE. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
- The stasis of this play is assumed to be a small town somewhere in Arizona, although the only true mention of the location is "BFE" or "Bum Fuck Egypt" during the 90's. The main character is a 14 year old Asian-American girl named Panny who struggles with an almost non-existent mother and the concept that she is "not beautiful" because she does not have the typical Caucasian qualities. Other characters include: Lefty (Panny's uncle), Isabel (Panny's mother), Evvie (Lefty's love interest), Nancy (Panny's friend), Hugo (Panny's potential love interest), Hae-Yoon (Panny's pen-pal from Asia), and "The Man" who is an unknown character throughout the play that abducts teenage girls. The play switches back and forth between significant events that happen to Panny, Lefty, and Isabel to reveal the complications that each is having in life at this time.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
- The intrusion occurs when Panny agrees to meet Hugo, her "boyfriend" that she has only known through phone conversations. In the beginning of the play, Panny mentions that something happened to her that she does not like to talk about. Her agreeing to meet Hugo is what encourages Panny to go to the gas station where "The Man" is. This man ultimately abducts her, attempts to make her wear a blonde wig so that she will be "his type," beats her when she does not, and leaves her be instead of killing her like all of the others he has abducted.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
- This is the day that Panny decides to tell what actually happened to her on the night of her abduction and how she came to be put in that position. She states a few times throughout the play that "nobody really knows" and that "there are rumors about what happened" but her telling what happened sets everything straight.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
- The main dramatic question throughout the play is "what event happened to Panny that she refuses to tell?" Other questions that occur throughout the play that are eventually answered are "Why does Panny's uncle live with them?" "Why doesn't Isabel have a job?" "Does Hugo forgive Panny for lying about her age?"
5. Use Panny, Isabelle, or Lefty to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for one of the three designated characters..
- Isabel is the character I am choosing for this question. Throughout the play Isable's wants and what gets in the way of them become very clear. In the beginning, she wants Panny to "become more beautiful" by having plastic surgery for her 14th birthday. She herself has had many surgeries that she believes have made her almost perfect. Panny does not think this surgery is truly necessary and declines Isabel's offer which leaves her frustrated (me v another person). Later, it is revealed that Isabel desperately wants a love interest through her fantasies of "the General" from a soap opera that she watches. She has relations with a pizza delivery man shortly after this who she becomes immediately attached to and begs her not to leave him, however he does which highly upsets her (me v another person/ against fate). While having relations with this other character, she reveals that she cannot make herself go outside of the house for some unknown reason of fear which is ultimately her entire issue (me v myself).
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in BFE and what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play?
- Personally, the most theatrical moment throughout the play is when "The Man" asks Panny to put a blonde wig on so that she will be beautiful. This moment of a teenage girl being told she can never be beautiful because she does not look a certain way much be very concerning and traumatizing. During this scene, it is also made very clear that everything Panny has been told by her mother is true. When this happens, it sets the main theme and idea of the play in stone and provides exactly what the audience needs to understand the struggle of Asian-American women during this time.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in BFE. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
- One image is that of the phone. Panny uses the phone to hide behind her insecurity of being "ugly" while still getting to know Hugo and coming to have a crush on him despite knowing that eventually she would have to face him in person. Another image is when she puts makeup on when she finally agrees to meet Hugo in person. She puts the makeup on in an attempt to make herself look older than she is but also to try and alleviate some of her "ugliness" in hopes that Hugo will still like her when he finds out that she does not look like an average Caucasian girl. A third image that I found to be very significant is the scar left on her body after her abduction. The scar reads "UGLY" and will forever be a reminder to her that she will most likely never be pretty enough unless she makes modifications to her body. It also shows the discrimination and hatred towards her race presented throughout the play.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in BFE.
- Major themes that I noticed included: self-doubt, inner v outer beauty, confidence in one's looks, and family struggles. A few other, smaller themes that I noticed included abduction, discrimination, and complications with love interests.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with BFE? Is family redefined in BFE and if so, in what ways?
- Family relationships in BFE is not like average American plays where a father, mother, and children are present. In this play, Panny and her mother are not close. Isabel treats Panny more like a friend than her child and she is not very capable of providing for her in a way that parents typically do for their children. Panny also does not have a father, but she does have sort of a father figure/ older brother figure throughout the play which is Lefty who works and attempts to be there for Panny. Another concept of family that could be brought up is the relationship between Evvie and Lefty. They want to be together, but Evvie is slightly more immature in that she already has a child who has been taken away from her and she wants to take advantage of that by "being young" while Lefty is ready to start a family of his own and even include Panny in that idea. This causes complications for their relationship since they are not on the same level and they eventually break things off.
1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of BFE. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
- The stasis of this play is assumed to be a small town somewhere in Arizona, although the only true mention of the location is "BFE" or "Bum Fuck Egypt" during the 90's. The main character is a 14 year old Asian-American girl named Panny who struggles with an almost non-existent mother and the concept that she is "not beautiful" because she does not have the typical Caucasian qualities. Other characters include: Lefty (Panny's uncle), Isabel (Panny's mother), Evvie (Lefty's love interest), Nancy (Panny's friend), Hugo (Panny's potential love interest), Hae-Yoon (Panny's pen-pal from Asia), and "The Man" who is an unknown character throughout the play that abducts teenage girls. The play switches back and forth between significant events that happen to Panny, Lefty, and Isabel to reveal the complications that each is having in life at this time.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
- The intrusion occurs when Panny agrees to meet Hugo, her "boyfriend" that she has only known through phone conversations. In the beginning of the play, Panny mentions that something happened to her that she does not like to talk about. Her agreeing to meet Hugo is what encourages Panny to go to the gas station where "The Man" is. This man ultimately abducts her, attempts to make her wear a blonde wig so that she will be "his type," beats her when she does not, and leaves her be instead of killing her like all of the others he has abducted.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
- This is the day that Panny decides to tell what actually happened to her on the night of her abduction and how she came to be put in that position. She states a few times throughout the play that "nobody really knows" and that "there are rumors about what happened" but her telling what happened sets everything straight.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
- The main dramatic question throughout the play is "what event happened to Panny that she refuses to tell?" Other questions that occur throughout the play that are eventually answered are "Why does Panny's uncle live with them?" "Why doesn't Isabel have a job?" "Does Hugo forgive Panny for lying about her age?"
5. Use Panny, Isabelle, or Lefty to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for one of the three designated characters..
- Isabel is the character I am choosing for this question. Throughout the play Isable's wants and what gets in the way of them become very clear. In the beginning, she wants Panny to "become more beautiful" by having plastic surgery for her 14th birthday. She herself has had many surgeries that she believes have made her almost perfect. Panny does not think this surgery is truly necessary and declines Isabel's offer which leaves her frustrated (me v another person). Later, it is revealed that Isabel desperately wants a love interest through her fantasies of "the General" from a soap opera that she watches. She has relations with a pizza delivery man shortly after this who she becomes immediately attached to and begs her not to leave him, however he does which highly upsets her (me v another person/ against fate). While having relations with this other character, she reveals that she cannot make herself go outside of the house for some unknown reason of fear which is ultimately her entire issue (me v myself).
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in BFE and what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play?
- Personally, the most theatrical moment throughout the play is when "The Man" asks Panny to put a blonde wig on so that she will be beautiful. This moment of a teenage girl being told she can never be beautiful because she does not look a certain way much be very concerning and traumatizing. During this scene, it is also made very clear that everything Panny has been told by her mother is true. When this happens, it sets the main theme and idea of the play in stone and provides exactly what the audience needs to understand the struggle of Asian-American women during this time.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in BFE. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
- One image is that of the phone. Panny uses the phone to hide behind her insecurity of being "ugly" while still getting to know Hugo and coming to have a crush on him despite knowing that eventually she would have to face him in person. Another image is when she puts makeup on when she finally agrees to meet Hugo in person. She puts the makeup on in an attempt to make herself look older than she is but also to try and alleviate some of her "ugliness" in hopes that Hugo will still like her when he finds out that she does not look like an average Caucasian girl. A third image that I found to be very significant is the scar left on her body after her abduction. The scar reads "UGLY" and will forever be a reminder to her that she will most likely never be pretty enough unless she makes modifications to her body. It also shows the discrimination and hatred towards her race presented throughout the play.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in BFE.
- Major themes that I noticed included: self-doubt, inner v outer beauty, confidence in one's looks, and family struggles. A few other, smaller themes that I noticed included abduction, discrimination, and complications with love interests.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with BFE? Is family redefined in BFE and if so, in what ways?
- Family relationships in BFE is not like average American plays where a father, mother, and children are present. In this play, Panny and her mother are not close. Isabel treats Panny more like a friend than her child and she is not very capable of providing for her in a way that parents typically do for their children. Panny also does not have a father, but she does have sort of a father figure/ older brother figure throughout the play which is Lefty who works and attempts to be there for Panny. Another concept of family that could be brought up is the relationship between Evvie and Lefty. They want to be together, but Evvie is slightly more immature in that she already has a child who has been taken away from her and she wants to take advantage of that by "being young" while Lefty is ready to start a family of his own and even include Panny in that idea. This causes complications for their relationship since they are not on the same level and they eventually break things off.